First tour of the National Graphene Institute
Oct 07, 2014 10:00
By Shelina Begum
The M.E.N's Shelina Begum takes a look at the new 78€m National Graphene Institute being built at The University of Manchester
National Graphene Institute: Impression of how the finished building will look
The University of Manchester is not only the birthplace of graphene, but is aiming to stay at the forefront of innovation and research into the wonder material with the completion of its 78€m National Graphene Institute.
The NGI, which has been designed by architect Jestico + Whiles, selected BAM Construction to build its research hub, a 63 week project which is due for completion next spring.
GMBW was invited along to take a tour of the centre, which is yet to be fitted out but gave us a first glimpse about what to expect when it finally opens its doors next year.
The stunning, glass-fronted hub will be the UK’s home of research into the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, first discovered by the University’s Nobel prize winning scientists, professors Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov.
An aerial view of the National Graphene Institute
You may not notice on first glance, but take a step back and you will be able to see that the black perforated stainless steel veil cladding features a representation of the chemical formula for graphene, already impressed then take a step in.
The Institute, which will accommodate up to 120 staff, will provide the opportunity for researchers and industry to work together on a huge variety of potential graphene applications.
Funding for the NGI has come from the European Regional Development Fund (23m) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (48€m).
Located at the main university campus on Booth Street West, the NGI is being housed within a compact 7,825 sq metre five storey building.
It will include 1,500 sq mt of dedicated cleanroom space, where scientists can carry out experiments and research without contamination.
The main clean room will take over the lower ground level for minimal vibrations, and will be connected by a cleanroom lift - the only one in England - to a second cleanroom on the third level.
The building also incorporates laser, optical, metrology and chemical laboratories as well as a seminar room, which opens out onto to a rooftop terrace.
Over 50% of the construction build cost includes mechanical and electrical services, which has gone into such a level of detail that it has enabled BAM to coordinate and design around 30 per cent of the M&E services in prefabricated modules, helping to facilitate a tight build programme to be achieved.
The building has been constructed in two isolated concrete structures to ensure minimal vibrations.
The outer veil stainless steel cladding being fixed into place
Levels one, two and three include a combination of office and laboratory space, connected by breakout rooms, and separate ‘grey spaces’ have been designed between labs to host tools and equipment.
NGI is also aiming for BREEAM status, the environmental benchmark set out for today’s buildings.
This isn’t the first construction BAM has completed on behalf of the University of Manchester having worked on 16 schemes in the last 11 years including the Alan Turing Building, the Schuster Building, Woolton hall, Garstang House as well as the Core technology Facility.
Tony Grindrod, construction director at BAM, said: “This building brings it all together.
“It is the central hub for graphene research, for collaborative partnership and importantly it is going to keep Manchester at the forefront of research in the wonder material.
“The potential for its impact on the city and the north west is immense and we are delighted to have been part of the process to build a centre where cutting edge research will take place.”
While the envelope of the building has been completed, the fit out teams are working in stages, in what is going to be a world class facility.
It’s not hard to see how the different spaces will work once the NGI opens its doors.
The labs and offices are all interconnected, giving researchers the flexibility to work on new ideas while progressing on current ones, as it’s pretty clear there are high hopes from what this wonder material will bring to the world, and excitingly from Manchester.